Thankful Thursday - Take 35

732. Humility brought to me by my co-workers. Can always use some more of that!

733. Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Saved me a major step in making the hubster some homemade chicken noodle soup.

734. Movie afternoon with Mr. Sweets. We did nothing but watch movies after work!

735. Easter candy. It’s my favorite time of year, if we’re talking about candy that is.

 

736. Yoga. It’s making me a lot stronger in the legs, thus making me a better runner.

737. Vegetables growing. Our plants have grown 2-3x  larger than when we planted them!

738. Wearing a jacket to work every day, therefore allowing me to wear the same thing every day without anyone knowing. (I don’t do that, but I could!)

739. A reminder to be thankful in all things, at all times, in all situations. Thank you Ann VosKamp for sharing your heart with the ECBC ladies this past weekend.

740. Riding bicycles to church.

 

741. A husband who loves to grill.

742. Time with our friends Aaron and Christy.

743. Fresh air, blue skies, wind – it makes any day seem beautiful

744. Conversations with my dad in the morning. So nice.

745. My brother gets to experience China starting Saturday!

 

756. Emails from co-workers who sit right next to me.

757. Taking walks.

758. Spring break this week and no class!

759. Peanut butter. There’s something comforting about it.

760. These amazing navel oranges I bought from the Teeter. They are so succulent and delicious. I. Just. Want. To. Keep. Eating. Them.

 

761. Online shopping. Although I never do it, I know it’s always there if I need it.

 

 

 

 

 

Thankful Thursday - Take 34

712. Lots of great planting by me and Mr. Evans. Looking forward to eating what we grow!

713. Exercising on Saturday mornings to get the day started off right.

714. A spouse that desires to be healthy and one that encourages me to do so as well.

715. Figuring out the sprinkler system. Way to go Mr. Evans.

 

716. New tasks at work.

717. A new lunch place close to the house, Pawley’s Front Porch. Really good sandwiches.

718. Oh and a new smoothie joint by the house as well. Thanks for introducing us Nicole!

719. Supporting Aunt Becky and her fight against Colon Cancer. The benefit raised $10,000! Thanks everyone for participating!

720. Time at home lately. We’ve been grilling and cooking and watching shows. We cherish time at home because we’re so busy.

 

721. Pretzel Crisps – what a deliciously simple snack

722. Warm weather and being able to leave the windows open

723. Health Insurance – ours is really good and man am I thankful we have it. It’s a relief for sure.

724. Hot Yoga – literally it’s hot. 105 degrees in 50% humidity and I am SWEATING! It’s hard, but it’s really good.

725. Women’s retreat this weekend at church.

 

726. Gummies

727. The nice lady at the gas station this afternoon that helped me get my gas door open. She didn’t have to help me but she did.

728. People at work saying Thank You. A courtesy that is often overlooked as “simple” but missed when not said.

729. Quality time with the hubster. He’s so much fun to be around.

730. Huevos Rancheros – what a simple, yet scrumptious breakfast that I made for Sunday brunch (e.g. tortilla chips, black beans, sausage, cheese, salsa, fried egg)

 

731. Bloody Mary – my new found love. Can I have one at 3:30 on a Thursday?

St. Patrick's Day

I made Irish Bangers and Mash/Colcannon with Guinness Onion Gravy. Beau really liked it. I wasn’t a huge fan, but I think that was due in part because I was so tired and hot from working in the yard and cooking. I didn’t want hot food. But again, he liked it and it was neat to honor the Irish and their cuisine. Btw, I don’t understand how people could think Irish food isn’t good. Guinness gravy? Fish and sticks? Cabbage? I mean, what’s not to like?

 

 

The Back 1

Beau and I planted that Back 1. He affectionately calls it the Back 40, but well there’s only 1 and not even that. Saturday we did our planting against all advice. “Wait until after Easter” everyone said. We didn’t. It may bite us, but it may benefit us. And while we’re enjoying our tomatoes early, everyone else will still be waiting... I mean, why would the nursery sell them now if they weren’t meant to be planted now? Plus we put them in pots; that way if it drops in temperature we can easily bring them inside for a little warmth by the fire.

 

And speaking of weather. Hasn’t March been just divine? Windows open and breeze is a flowin’. It’s lovely.

 

So we’ll return to the Back 1. We planted the following:

Regular tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes (the guy at the nursery said these were his favorite), broccoli, jalapenos and eggplant. We also planted thyme, basil, cilantro, parsley, mint and dill. We can’t wait for the harvest and fresh veggies and herbs to incorporate into our daily lives. Once we have a little growth I’ll provide pictures for the storybook.

Thankful Thursday - Take 33

691. Another great mid-term score for both me and Beau!

692. A great weekend in NC with the fam, celebrating Jenn’s expected baby.

693. Safe travel to and from NC.

694. A night at the movies.

695. A husband who missed me while I was away. Flowers and a balloon to show it. J

 

696. Awesome food at Triangle and on the cheap! Thanks Groupon!

697. My boss has been in a good mood this week.

698. One more week until Spring break at The Citadel.

699. New adventures in exercising. Yoga.

700. Go-to meals like Sausage with Black Beans and Rice. Yum.

 

701. Movies on the couch with the hubster.

702. Lunch with the hubster.

703. Great co-workers.

704. Getting to “sleep in” until 5:30.

705. A weekend at home.

 

706. Gracious professors.

707. Clean water to drink.

708. A God we can speak to.

709. God’s direction in our life.

710. Earth Fare and the coupons for free items.

 

711. Fresh meat. There’s nothing better than getting a fresh cut of meat from the butcher and cooking it up that night. Frozen meat will never be comparable. Never.

 

 

Welcome Home

My dear, sweet husband had a surprise waiting for me when I returned from NC this weekend.

 

First, I went to NC to be a part of my sister’s baby shower on Saturday. Super fun time with the family. Loved it!

 

I came home Sunday afternoon/evening with Beau greeting me in the driveway and the garage door already up and ready for me to pull in. J

 

We brought my stuff into the house and started to unpack things. Apparently, Beau was waiting for me to see the surprise and in my non-observant state, I saw nothing; I noticed nothing. He eventually broke down and pointed out the surprise. There, sitting in the counter was a bouquet of flowers and a balloon that read “Welcome Home. I missed you.” J [Grinning]

 

Yes, I had put away fruit in our hanging basket only 5 inches from the balloon and I still didn’t notice.

 

Beau said he went to the store to get the balloon and the florist asked how long I had been gone. “Since Friday.” The florist was a bit speechless, thinking it had been a while.

 

What can I say? My husband missed me!

Thankful Thursday - Take 32

672. One wonderful year of marriage with the love of my life, Beau.

673. A great anniversary weekend in Asheville, NC.

674. Bloody Mary’s – my new fave

675. Running faster as I try to keep up with Beau. But I did it!

 

676. Smoothies are back in the Evans household.

677. Our wedding cake one year later was just as delicious as it was on March 5, 2011.

678. A new dining room table.

679. Class was cancelled on Wednesday. J

680. A partner to support me.

 

681. Home Warranty (our dishwasher broke this week)

682. A great realtor (Donna) who had the sellers pay for the Home Warranty. J

683. Driving to work in sunlight

684. Beau coming to eat with me at my work. What a treat!

685. Dinner with my mom, Aunt Teresa and cousins (Abbey and Rachel).

 

686. Aunt Becky’s procedure went okay.

687. Babies! (Jenn and Abbey are due 2 days apart.)

688. Getting to know Beau’s boss better.

689. Seeing my mom this week.

690. Breakfast with Pop-Pop on Tuesday.

1st Anniversary

Beau and I traveled to Asheville, NC this weekend to celebrate our 1^st anniversary! We can’t believe it’s already been one year! So today we start year 2.

 

Beau and I stayed in a wonderful bed and breakfast called The Lion and The Rose run by a wonderful couple, Jim and Linda Palmer. The house was beautiful and the details the innkeepers offered made all the difference. Beau and I had a wonderful room at the front of house on the 3^rd floor. There were chocolate in the room and port and sherry downstairs for a night cap. They offered a butler’s pantry filled with baked goods, beverages, hot drinks and snacks for the taking. And in the morning, they brought us coffee to our door. What a treat!

 

Breakfast was delicious was Apple Cherry Pancakes served with homemade Apple Brandy Syrup and fruit one day and then Huevos Rancheros the next day for breakfast. Scrumptious! We loved it there.

 

Friday night Beau and I headed downtown Asheville where we hit up the Thirsty Monk for a little beverage and there I discovered my love for cider. J And then on to Curate for dinner. Curate is a Spanish Tapas place that was super good, but way over priced. Whoops. Beau and I split the charcuterie tray with Spanish cheeses, sautéed mushrooms and garlic shrimp. Very good food like I said, but very overpriced.

 

Saturday we woke up early for a run. Beau packed my workout clothes. He did a great job, except for considering the temperature of Asheville. When we left Charleston it was 82 degrees so naturally he didn’t consider it to be cold in Asheville. Point is? Kathryn went running both Saturday and Sunday in 38 degrees in shorts and a t-shirt. Way to go us!

 

Saturday was spent traipsing around Asheville to all of the antique places we could find. We were on the hunt for dining room furniture. And we found some! We left yesterday with a pew and a dining room table that we love.

 

Saturday night Beau had the idea to go to the Grove Park Inn for  a drink and to look at the view before heading to dinner in town. I ordered my new standby, a Bloody Mary (I don’t care what time of day it is) and we listened to the pianist and talked. It was lovely.

 

We headed back to the bed and breakfast because of a wardrobe malfunction and then on to dinner at Table. What a great choice! So wonderful. Listen to what we had!

 

Appetizer: Soft Poached Duck Egg in a Cauliflower Cream with Truffle and Parmesan. We sopped up all of that sauce with our remaining bread. Superb!

 

Entrée: Beau’s-Ribeye with Lobster Remoulade; Kathryn’s-Striped Bass with Kale and Grits

 

Dessert: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Semifreddo with Caramelized Bananas and Salted Caramel. We wish we could have that again. It was fabulous!

 

The service was great and our waiter brought us each a little glass of a dessert wine because it was our anniversary.

 

Beau and I had a great weekend celebrating together and love our little trips away like that.

 

 

The countdown

Beau and I leave in two hours for our 1^st Anniversary trip! I’ve dreamt of taking an anniversary trip my whole life! Here it is! Our first of many. We’re driving up to Asheville, NC and staying in a bed and breakfast that Beau picked out. J We’ve got a fun dinner planned  tonight and another one tomorrow. Of course we would be eating well on this  trip. This is what we do. J But all day tomorrow we’re planning on looking for a kitchen table and chairs and/or a dining room table and chairs. (We are currently without both.) I hope we’re successful and can come home with something.

 

We’re both looking forward to our weekend away exploring Asheville and getting some furniture. We’re going to have a blast! See you Sunday when we return. J

 

 

Thankful Thursday - Take 31

648. Good grades on our mid-terms. And they are complete!

649. Dinner out with Joe Konen. Beau and I had a super time with him. Always good to see him!

650. Getting up before work to ride the bike. And I’m not falling asleep at my desk!

 

651. Developing friendships in class.

652. Networking

653. A very productive weekend with lots of studying and cleaning.

654. Ability to laugh when the food I make is horrendous.

655. Beau – he’s wonderful and I love every part of him

 

656. Beau turned the heat on for me the other day. Loved it.

657. Motivation to work out

658. Chats with my seesta.

659. A delicious meal at The MacIntosh

660. Throwing the ball for Argos

 

661. Friends that let me borrow their fancy dresses so I don’t have to buy one. Thanks!

662. Experiments

663. Chicken bog for my husband, brought to us from Mikey and Rosa. Love it!

664. The interesting mafia run we’ve had lately.

665. The warm weather we’ve had. I’m ready for summer!

 

666. Seeing Beau in the middle of the day for lunch.

667. My study buddy.

668. Sharing

669. Blue skies

670. Driving to work with the sun rising and birds chirping. It’s been a while….

 

671. Good use out of Beau’s tuxedo.